Man charged with robbing Lake Bluff gas station after card was declined

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A north suburban man has been charged with robbing a gas station at gunpoint after his card was declined Wednesday morning in north suburban Lake Bluff.

Gil Orlando Melendez, 32, was arrested Wednesday in North Chicago, according to a statement from the Lake County sheriff’s office. He was charged with a felony count each of aggravated robbery and theft.

A warrant was issued for his arrest after detectives identified Melendez as the man who walked into the gas station about 3:15 a.m. in the 28700 block of North Waukegan Road and tried to buy cigarettes and alcohol, the sheriff’s office said. He handed the clerk a credit card, which was declined.

After the card was declined, Melendez threatened the clerk, reached toward his waistband, showed a firearm and demanded cigarettes, the sheriff’s office said. He then took the cigarettes and ran away.

Melendez, who lives in Waukegan, is also suspected of stealing cigarettes on Nov. 24 from a gas station in the 600 block of County Street in Waukegan, according to the sheriff’s office. He was being held at the Lake County Jail on $150,000 bail and was expected to appear in court Thursday morning.